Step up
by kdip4014
Summary: Yes, the title is a play on the movie title... at least I think. The team goes to New York for a conference and House meets Cameron's last two siblings.
1. Revelations

Alright people, here's the third - and probably final - installment of the Cameron family clan. No clue how long it will take to get up though. Summer school starts today (I'm taking 9 hours), and training for my new job ends this weekend, so it could be awhile. Then again it could be a week, if I procrastinate school like I used to do. Probably not. Anyways, let me know what ya'll think.

* * *

"Good morning, everyone." Elliot comes into the conference room and takes a seat at the table, pulling her lab coat and an energy drink out of her bag, putting on the coat and opening the drink.

"Do we have a case?" Foreman questions the cardiologist's presence in the room, throwing his medical journal on the table, "Frankly I hope so."

"No clue. Just as I got in, Cuddy told me to report here." She glances over at Cameron, noting the large amount of make up beneath her eyes, covering dark circles. "Late night, Dr. Cameron?"

"You could say that." Cameron matches her slight teasing tone, not going any farther with the conversation. The two women have fast become friends, and often their conversations don't last more than a few sentences, which annoys everyone around them. This one is cut even shorter as House limps into the office, shocking everyone.

"What are you doing here so early, Greg?" Elliot speaks up, "did Cuddy promise a night of black leather and whips in exchange?" She receives glares from House and Cameron that somehow come off as death and grateful at the same time. She's still the only one in the hospital that knows of House and Cameron's relationship, and takes pleasure in annoying them with random comments to throw other doctors off their scent. Chase and Foreman sit by with clueless and disgusted looks, respectively.

"Oh, how I wish. No, she just promised me two weeks off clinic duty."

"Just for showing up early?"

"No, for why she had me show up early. Who cares why, it gets me off of clinic duty for two weeks." House hooks his cane over the white board and pours himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat at the table between Cameron and Reed. Before he can make himself comfortable, Cuddy enters the office.

"Alright guys, I'm sorry to have to do this to you given that you've had so many difficult cases and the hospital fundraiser recently, but I'd rather not turn this down." All the doctors except House perk up and give the Dean their attention. House merely slumps farther down in his chair and allows his eyelids to droop. He's startled awake and upright by a smack on each arm from Cameron and Reed. All shake their heads in exasperation as Cuddy continues. "There is a Diagnostics Convention in New York this weekend, and this team has been requested to attend." She falls silent, waiting for the expected reactions. Chase and Foreman merely nod their heads in acceptance, Cameron looks thoughtful, Reed worried, and House… she couldn't identify the look on House's face. She starts with Cameron.

"Dr. Cameron? Concerns?"

"Could I speak with you in private?"

Cuddy nods her head affirmative before moving onto Reed. "Dr. Reed?"

"Mackenzie?" Reed mentions her daughter.

"If your family can't take her then I'll be happy to." Cuddy reluctantly turns to House, dreading what's coming. "House?"

"Four."

"Excuse me?"

"I'd like four weeks off of clinic duty."

"Fine." Cuddy easily accepts before placing a folder down on the table, "Here are your train tickets, hotel information, conference itineraries, and other information needed for the weekend." She turns and leaves, with Cameron following. They stop just outside the office, just out of earshot to talk. House leans back in his chair, trying to see if he can read their lips. He's interrupted by that when Reed stands up and 'innocently' brushes past him, causing him to topple to the ground.

* * *

"What's up, Cameron?"

"Is there any way that I could have an extra day or two in New York this weekend?"

"I've already arranged it. The conference is Saturday, and Sunday. You all leave Thursday morning. Is a day and a half enough?"

"Yes. Why didn't you say something in the conference room?"

"Who knew what House would say? Why did you want the extra day?"

"My little sister goes to Julliard. She's got her summer show on Thursday night. I wasn't planning on attending, but if it's possible…" Cameron lets her sentence trail off.

"You'll be there anyways."

"Thanks, Dr. Cuddy."

"No-" They're cut off by a crash sounding from the room they just left and turn to see House lying on the floor, with Reed standing by just a little too innocently. They laugh and turn their separate ways. Cameron enters the conference room, helps House to his feet, before turning to Foreman, who's reading over the conference literature.

"That's odd." Foreman speaks up, "The conference doesn't start until Saturday morning, but we leave Thursday morning."

"So we get an extra day and a half in New York. If no one objects, I know a great club we can go to Friday night." Cameron speaks up, causing all the occupants in the room to turn and stare at her, causing her to shift under their gazes. "What?"

"Who knew that the queen of work ethics would enjoy two days of rest on the hospital's dime, and she'd willingly suggest going to a club the night before a big conference-" House begins to snark, but he's cut off by Chase.

"Where we're the guest's of honor." Chase looks up from the itinerary before holding it up for everyone to see. "We've got the 10 AM spot on Saturday. A six hour intensive on three cases of our choosing."

"What?!" Even House looks surprised at that piece of news. Cameron is the first one to recover.

"I say that one of our cases be Esther and Ian." She looks at the four other doctors and finds them staring back, "What? It was a big case. House put to rest 12 years of unease… and we saved a 6 year old boy. Plus we diagnosed him with a case that only has what…200 reported cases?"

"202," House quietly states. All the others fall silent, remembering what those two cases did to him. Reed has no clue, and voices her question.

"What?" All the doctors look down, finally Cameron steps up.

"House had a case, 13 years ago; 70 year old woman died, he never figured it out. A year ago, a 6 year old came in with the same symptoms. We had about 8 hours to figure out what was wrong with him before he died."

"What was the diagnosis?"

"Erdheim-Chester."

"Very well," Elliot accepts with no further explanation. "That's one case, two spots left."

"I vote for the Naegleria case." Chase speaks up next. The others look to him in complete ignorance. "Surely you recall the case…it involved Forman nearly dieing."

"Sounds good to me. One left…Foreman, you choose."

"The nun with copper allergy, I suppose."

"What's interesting about a copper allergy?" Reed speaks up once again. Chase takes over this time.

"Nun comes in, has constant allergic reactions, even in a clean room. Turns out that she had a copper cross - a form of birth control pulled off the market in the 80s."

"Embedded in the endometrial tissue and never showed on any scans." Reed completes the sentence.

"As always, you never know it's there unless you know to look for it." All present are shocked by the tone in House's voice as he made the statement. Before anyone can question him on the statement, he turns and makes his way into his office, throwing one last comment over his shoulder at the team. "Better get to whatever research you have to, we leave in two days."

"I'll get the files on the patients." Chase speaks, getting to his feet; Foreman quickly follows.

"I'll go dig up our old notes from the differentials."

"You keep them?" Cameron speaks up.

"Every last one of them. Never know when you'll need them again." The two men leave Cameron and Reed alone in the room. Silence stretches for a moment before the younger woman speaks.

"Twenty bucks says that he was talking about you with that last comment." Cameron looks to Reed before slowly making her way into House's office, locking the door and pulling the blinds as soon as she enters.

* * *

"'Never know it's there unless you know to look for it'?" Elliot quotes House's words as she takes a seat opposite his desk.

"I have a problem."

"Well, admitting it is the first step." House glares at Elliot, which she simply smiles back at. "What's the problem?"

"I'm in love with Allison."

"Good for you. You've just admitted what I knew the second I saw the two of you together. So what's the problem?" House doesn't say anything. "You haven't told her. _What_ is your problem?! You have possibly _the _greatest woman in the world and you can't even tell her that. Did Grandma drop you on your head as a baby?"

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if my dad did."

"Greg…she loves you, you obviously love her, what are you afraid of? Do you not want the others to find out?" House remains silent, averting his gaze. "That's it, isn't it? If you tell her how you feel, then you think you'd have to out your relationship, and you don't want to deal with the opinions of the hospital."

"When have I ever cared about other people's opinions?" House tries to redeem himself.

"Apparently now." Elliot stands and moves to the door. "Greg, if you don't let others in, you're going to wind up alone for the rest of your life. And Allison doesn't count. Because after what you've just said, she's still on the outside."

She leaves House alone to ponder what she's just said. House opens his desk drawer and pulls out a photo hidden in the back. He's so engrossed staring at the photo of him and Allison from Karaoke night that he doesn't hear the door to his office open, nor does he notice the shadow falling across him until a voice shocks him out of his reverie.

"Do you have any idea how hot you looked that night?" House turns to find Cameron standing behind him with a grin. House attempts to cover up his shock with a joke.

"Sorry, all I remember is how hot you looked at my place after the fundraiser."

"Can't argue with you there." Cameron takes it all in stride as she takes the seat across from his desk. "What's wrong? Elliot looked pretty grim when she left a minute ago." Cameron rests her elbows on the desk and rests her chin on her clasped hands, waiting for him to answer.

House takes a moment to stare into her eyes, trying to picture her life without her. Realizing that he can't do that, he breaks contact to go digging in his desk drawer again, while speaking to her.

"I have a problem."

"Admitting it is the first step." Cameron unknowingly mimics Elliot's words, causing House to pause his search and glare at her, causing her to giggle. "Sorry, you were saying?" She waves her hand for him to continue.

He digs out a photo frame that still has the price tag sticking on the glass. He distracts himself by prying the tag off, delaying what he wants to say, just long enough to make Cameron nervous. Finally House begins speaking.

"I normally figure things out fairly quickly."

"Except when you're wrong." House once again glares at Cameron, who silently apologizes again, "Yes, when you're right, you figure things out quickly."

"So why did it take me so long to figure this out?" House says to himself, but still loud enough for Cameron to hear.

"Figure what out?" Cameron's voice is barely above a whisper, fearing what's next. House has moved the frame to his lap, preventing Cameron from seeing what he's doing. Finally he finishes and pulls it up so that he can stare at it again. Once again, his silence shocks Cameron into fear, resulting in a new wave of shock when he finally speaks.

"Figure out that I'm in love with you."

* * *

HAH! cliffie, sort of... Let's face it, I suck at drama. Anyways, let me know what ya'll think.


	2. Revelations and suspicions

So, apparently I'm better at drama then I thought. I recieved several reviews from people telling my how cruel I was for ending the last chapter where I did. I know this chapter is short, but I wrote it when I had brain freeze trying to write 'thoughtful and analytical responses' for my Abnormal Psych homework. It's the greatest class...two of our graded assignments consist of us stalking people. Not really. We just have to observe them and relate our responses to whatever we're studying in class at the time. Anyways, I'm drifting. Here's the long awaited response to House's declaration of love to Cameron. Let me know what ya'll think.

* * *

"Cameron?" House kneels in front of her as best he can, ignoring the twinge in his leg. He places his hand over hers, the contact causing her to snap out of the trance. She stares at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Are you okay?"

"Um…I, um…" Cameron tries to form her thoughts, failing miserably. "Really?" She finally gets out meekly, hoping that he won't try to backpedal and retract the statement.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to figure out." He takes his free hand and trails it down her cheek, thankful that Elliot closed the blinds when she came in.

"That's okay. It was definitely worth the wait." Cameron leans in and delivers the softest of kisses to his lips. When she pulls back after a moment, there are tears in her eyes. House stays right where he is, with their foreheads resting against each others before House breaks the silence.

"Um, do you think that that you can help me up?" He questions with an abnormal lack of confidence in his voice. "This really isn't a good position for my leg."

"Right, sorry." Cameron puts her arms under his and helps him up so that he can sit on the couch beside her. Once there, he quickly leans over and captures her lips with his again, silencing anything that she was about to say. The pair quickly forget their surroundings and lean into the other as much as they can. After several moments, they separate to catch their breaths.

"Are you okay?" Cameron asks when she notices him visibly stiffen up. House doesn't answer, just turns to the door. Cameron follows the direction of his gaze and groans softly in embarrassment when she sees Wilson standing at the door with an expression that is beyond shock in description.

"Something that I can help you with Jimmy?" Wilson snaps out of his own shock at House's voice and steps into the office, closing the door behind him.

"I was going to ask you if you needed any help packing for this weekend, but it would appear as if you've got all the help that you need. Speaking of…how long has this been going on?" Wilson waggles his finger between the two, referring to the relationship with his question.

House glances back to Cameron, the silent question in his eyes. She nods her head an affirmative before he turns back to his friend. "About four months."

"Four…months…" Wilson sits heavily down in the chair by the door in astonishment. "So, since Elliot got here?"

"Since Claire's wedding." Cameron responds.

"How did you keep this from the hospital? How did _you_ keep this from _me_?" Wilson zeros in on his friend with the second question. "You've never been able to keep anything from me."

"We wanted people to find out by our terms." Cameron answers him. "Honestly I wasn't sure how long it would last." Cameron lays her hand on House's arm, silently stopping the retort that she knows he has. "And I didn't want to say anything if it wouldn't."

"We said something to your siblings." House points out, ignoring his friend.

"I figured if you can deal with them, you were a keeper. You can dish out your own unique form of torture, but my siblings have their own down to an art form. After that… I knew we'd tell people when the time was right."

"And having your best friend walk in on you making out with your girlfriend kind of forces the 'right time' onto you." The two share a laugh, oblivious to the oncologist in the room.

* * *

Foreman and Chase are sitting at the conference table staring in the direction of House's office. They both saw Wilson head in and are slightly worried at the lack of noise emanating from there - especially since they haven't seen Cameron come out. Just as Chase gets up to check on them, the blinds open and Cameron enters the conference room, followed by House. The pair is sharing a private smile, and the men look beyond the couple to see Wilson still sitting in the chair in shock. They are distracted from asking questions when House speaks up.

"Alright, Foreman, Wombat, head home, pack up, we'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning at - What time does the train leave?" He turns to Cameron, who retrieves the packet of tickets and searches for the time.

"Eight AM." She responds

"Seven fifty-five then," House responds, grabbing his bag and jacket, preparing to leave. He's stopped when his jacket is pulled from his grasp by Cameron. He turns to face her, noting the incredulous look on her face.

"It's only 9 AM, House. We still have to work today." She hangs his coat back up and takes his bag from him, throwing that just inside his office. The guys are shocked when House offers no resistance, just silently heads into his office, retrieving his gameboy and iPod from his bag, turning them both on after taking a seat at his desk.

* * *

"Good GOD, Chase! Would you just give it up already?" Foreman orders, the exasperation evident in his voice.

"Since when has House ever complied with one of our wishes? Hell, since when has House ever complied with _anyone's_ wishes?" Chase places his bag by Foreman's and leans against a pillar by their train.

"Never, I realize that, but still, this is my last weekend with this team, so _please shut up_!"

"What annoying thing has Chase been saying now?" The men turn at the new voice, seeing Elliot drop her bag by theirs.

"House actually complied with Cameron when he wanted to leave yesterday morning and she told him to stay." Chase supplies.

"So?" Elliot digs her iPod out of her purse and turns it on, ignoring any conversation from Chase, who turns back to Foreman and finds him listening to his own music. Chase begins to turn his own music on but he's stopped by a laugh coming in their direction. He turns and sees House and Cameron walking towards them, oblivious to the trio standing where they are. Cameron has two small duffle bags on one shoulder and an oversized purse on the other, House is carrying his own back pack. When House sees the team, he stops smiling - little as it was - and smacks Foreman on the knee with his cane.

"Ow!" He pulls his head phones off. "What was that for?"

"You're leaving in five days, I'm trying to get as much abuse in as I can." He raises his cane once more only to be stopped by Cameron's hand on his arm.

"Let's just get on the train guys. It'll be pulling out soon." Cameron smiles at Chase when he takes one of the bags that she's carrying and shoulders it himself.

"Thanks for carrying my bag, Chase." House throws over his shoulder while struggling to board the train.


	3. The dark one knows

Alright, I hope that you guys appreciate this chapter, because I put off writing my lit review paper for Abnormal Psych so that I could write it (Then again, I've been putting off that paper for a week, so it wasn't all just for this story ;P). Anyways, I hope that ya'll like it.

* * *

The group is sitting at a large table with papers spread out around them, organizing themselves for the conference. 

"So how do we open up with these cases?" Foreman questions, "It's not like they have anything in common, like when House lectured for the Diagnostics class and used three cases with leg pains."

"How about: A cop, a nun and a nine-year old boy walk into the ER…" Cameron starts, not looking up at first. Finally she does as she comes to a realization. "Wait, no, I don't think that'll work. They might think it's a joke to break the ice. Like those 'A rabbi, priest and a nun walk into a bar…' I don't think that that will work."

"Plus, the nun walked into the clinic." House points out. "As I recall, the sisters with her thought that the rash on her hands looked like stigmata." He's cut off by a snort from Elliot, "Reminding you of your Catholic School days?"

"No, just thinking of Sister Mary, that sounds like something that she would have said."

The group once again falls silent, but each person slowly looks up when they hear a low humming coming from Cameron. The tone is low and kind of depressing sounding. Eventually she starts to softly sing the lyrics.

"_Kiss Me too fiercely  
Hold me too tight  
I need help believing  
You're with me tonight  
My wildest dreamings  
Could not foresee  
Lying beside you  
With you wanting me  
_  
_"And just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
I've lot all resistance  
And crossed some borderline  
And if it turns out  
It's over too fast  
I'll make every last moment last  
As long as you're mine."_

Shocking everyone, House comes in for the male part.

"_Maybe I'm brainless  
Maybe I'm wise  
But you've got me seeing  
Though different eyes  
Somehow I've fallen  
Under your spell  
And somehow I'm feeling  
It's up that I fell"_

By now the entire carriage that's within hearing has stopped what they're doing to listen. Cameron looked up when she heard House begin to sing the male part, and bit her lip in hesitation about whether or not to continue, finally coming in for the pairs part.

"_Every moment  
As long as you're mine  
I'll wake up my body  
And make up for lost time"_

Cameron falls silent for the two lines that come next…

"_Say there's no future  
For us as a pair"_

…Picking up for the final part.

_"And though I know I may know  
I don't care  
Just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
Come be how you want to  
And see how bright we shine  
Borrow the moonlight  
Until it is though  
And know I'll be here holding you  
As long as you're mine"  
_

As they fall silent to the end of the song, the compartment breaks into polite applause, causing Cameron to duck her head in embarrassment. As soon as the applause dies down, Cameron looks up slightly, shuffling her papers together. Eventually she looks up fully and is met by mildly shocked looks from her coworkers. They all knew that she could sing, these gazes are split evenly between her and House. Again - knowing they could sing - it seemed like the gaze between the two during the song was what caused the current shock.

"What?!" Cameron finally breaks out. "I sing when I'm trying to think."

"That explains why we don't hear you singing much in the office." House fires back, missing the glare from Cameron when he looks down at the file in his lap.

"Shut up. If you're nice for the rest of the trip, I won't drag you out to the concert in the park tomorrow."

"I thought tomorrow we were going to the club you know."

"We are…tomorrow night. Friday afternoons there's always show in Central Park. Usually it's done by Julliard and the music is often from whatever musical their theatre program put on that summer."

"What musical did they put on this summer?" Chase questions her.

"_Wicked_." Cameron supplies absently, returning to her paperwork.

"Never heard of it." The entire table falls silent at that. Chase looks up and is met by looks of disbelief from the two women and even House. Foreman is sitting back, enjoying the show.

"You've never heard of _Wicked_?" The tone of disbelief is evident in Elliot's voice.

"No?" Chase answers uncertainly. Everyone shakes their heads and returns to work. Cameron takes pity on her coworker and explains the story line.

"It's a prequel of sorts to _The Wizard of Oz_. The story tells of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be who she was. A bulk of the story is told when Elphaba - the Wicked Witch - and Glinda were at school - and friends at the time."

"Didn't your sister say that you played Elphaba?" Foreman cuts in.

"I don't know if she did say that, but yes, I did play Elphaba. So did she; Ashley decided to break the trend…she got the part of Glinda. Suits her, she's got curly blonde hair and hates having to wash off stage make-up. As Elphaba, you're covered head to toe in green make-up. Alex almost got the part of Fiyero, but the directors thought that it would be weird for him to play that opposite Angela, so they gave him the part of the wizard."

"Fiyero?"

"The Prince of Oz. Glinda convinces herself that she's going to marry him, but he falls in love with Elphaba instead. It's a good play; opening night is tonight if you guys want to see it - I could probably get some more tickets."

"That's okay. I'd rather prepare for Saturday. One night off on this case is more than enough, and that's tomorrow night."

"Very well."

The team silently returns to their work, each turning on their iPods and silencing the others out. Foreman looks up to notice a small smile gracing Cameron's face, and his confusion is evident as to why. Shortly, Cameron's head starts bobbing up and down softly leaving Foreman to believe that she' listening to a favorite song. Unknown to him - beneath the table - she and House are gently teasing each other with their feet.

* * *

House is 'unpacking' his things - translation: randomly throwing his things into two drawers - when Cameron sneaks in, closing the door behind her softly and leaning against the door. 

"Clandestine meeting in my room, I thought we'd at least wait until dark." House tosses his bag on the floor, limping up to her and putting his arms around her waist. Cameron puts her arms around his neck and leans into his kiss.

"No clandestine meeting. Meet me in the lobby at 6 PM, wear that shirt and jacket that I made you pack. Make up some story if the others ask you where you're going." Cameron extracts herself from his arms and sneaks back outside and into her room that she's sharing with Elliot.

Elliot looks up from her laptop as Cameron enters with a smile on her face and pulls out the dress that she packed.

"So how's Greg? You two seem to be spending a lot of short amounts of time in rooms together. I would have thought Greg had more stamina then that. Then again, he is getting up there in age."

"Elliot!" Cameron turns to her in exasperation before returning to her bag, pulling out her shoes.

"You're right. Thinking of Greg that way just gave me a mental image that I will not be able to banish for years to come. What's the dress for?"

"Ashley's summer production is tonight. I'm dragging Greg to it."

"_Wicked_, right? Love to see Greg at a musical, that will definitely provide for months of blackmail material."

"And the knowledge that he starred in a musical in high school doesn't?" Cameron hangs her dress up on the bathroom door and flops down on her bed, pulling her case files to her.

"Greg was different then. Granted, he was still an angry bitter guy, but then he still knew how to smile a bit. It wasn't quite as shocking. Grams always dragged mom and Greg to plays and musicals when they were younger."

"Really? I'll have to have a word with your grandmother about teenage Greg House."

"Talk to my mom instead. She'll give you the full truth - the truth that Grams doesn't know about."

"I'll have to do that." Cameron sets the alarm on her watch and the two fall silent as they review the case files.

* * *

Foreman thanks the woman at the gift shop register after paying for his purchases. As he leaves the store, he runs head long into someone. Lifting his gaze to apologize, he falls silent realizing that it's House that he ran into. 

"Hey House. Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Do you realize how many strip clubs there are in the immediate vicinity? And no, you can't come with me. Why aren't you upstairs reviewing for Saturday?"

"I'm the one that has to share a bedroom with Chase," Foreman holds up a set of wax earplugs and a bottle of AdvilPM, "I learned the hard way at the last conference that these are necessities in that particular situation."

"Very well. Don't wait up for me." House turns and limps around the corner, stopping just out of sight before turning to make sure that Foreman turned to leave.

Heading in the direction of the elevators, Foreman notices Cameron get off of one and head in his direction…passing right by him without a hello. Thinking that she's just distracted, he moves to board an elevator, stopping when he realizes that both she and House were fairly dressed up - House in particular for a strip club. Immediately he turns and follows his colleague, remaining out of sight as he notices Cameron approach House and give him a quick kiss on the lips, and smiles when House pulls her in for a deeper one. Finally, Cameron pulls away, smacking him slightly on the arm, smiling while doing so.

The pair join arms and leave together. Foreman turns back toward the elevator with a smile on his face.

_Good for them._ He jumps into an elevator just as it's about to close and turns around for the ride to his floor. Just as the door's about to close a look of shock comes across his face as the full impact of what he's seen sinks in:

_Cameron and HOUSE!?!_

* * *

I think I'll do Chase next...but I'm not sure how that reaction will proceed. Therefore there might be a longer than usual lull. Oh, for those wondering...YES, I do love the musical _Wicked_, so you'll often see reference to the music in my fics. 


	4. The last of the siblings

Sorry for the long delay...School has been crazy, but one class has finally ended. Trust me when I say that Abnormal Psych four days a week, three hours a day is _not_ a fun way to take that particular course. I'm surprised that I did as well as I did. I actually had this chapter outlined last week, but couldn't get it typed up until today. (I _finally_ met my brother's fiancee. They've been together for over a year, and are getting married in three months and I just now met her this past weekend. And having a computer, not a laptop, prohibited me from typing it up all weekend. Beleive me, I'd have rather done that then dealt with Laura's parents and the wedding discussions.)

Anyways, the family's been met. And when you read the dialogue between House and Maggie, I tried to make it at kind of a Gilmore Girls-esque speed/style, so I hope that eliminates any confusion. It's almost midnight, and I've been up for more than a little while, so if there are any mistakes, I take full responsiblility for them.

* * *

"Allison?"

Cameron turns around, searching for the voice that called her name. The search comes to an end when she sees the young redhead approach and throw her arms around her.

"I didn't think you were going to make it." The woman draws away, but allows Cameron to remain in her grasp.

"I wasn't planning on it, but there's a conference in town that my boss sent my team to, so I got a few extra days in town." Cameron turns to House for the introductions. "Maggie, this is Greg; Greg, Maggie, my sister-in-law. Wait- is Adam here too?"

"Yeah, he went backstage to get Ash. Can't mess with tradition after all."

"True. Where's Caroline?"

"With my parents. It's nice to meet you, Greg."

"Likewise. Aren't you a little young to be married with kids?"

"Aren't you a little old to be with Allison? Didn't people try to advise you against it?"

"Plenty, and you?"

"Plenty…Got any more for me?"

"I'm not so good at the advice…Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"

Maggie leans in to Cameron to whisper in her ear. "Have your parents met him yet?" Allison shakes her head in negative, "Siblings?"

"All but Adam and Ash."

Maggie stands straight again gives Greg a once over before nodding her head. "I like this one, Al. I can't wait to see how your parents receive him - but I like him." She turns to House, "Change that, Greg…It's very nice to meet you. I have a feeling that you and I will be getting along very well."

"Sorry, but I'm taken."

"As am I, and even though you're dating Allison, I think that I might be just a _little_ too young for you even. And I'm not into adultery, remember, I've got a ring to remind me, and a kid to keep me in line."

"Yeah, not really into the single mom scene, so that's a turn-off."

"But I'm not single."

"But you do have kids, which is still a turn-off."

"Kids are a turn-off, huh? So what's going to happen when the strip turns pink with Ally?"

"Ah, hopefully that won't be happening anytime soon. But those would be my own kids, so it's a bit less of a turn off."

Cameron turns to the side as she feels a hand on her shoulder. Never taking her eyes off of House and Maggie, she stretches up to give her brother a kiss on the cheek before reaching over to give her sister one as well. Silently, the trio continues watching the verbal sparring much as if they were watching a tennis match.

"So you do want kids then? You do realize that Ally is one of five kids, three of which have given their parents a combined six grandkids…don't you ever worry how many Ally will want?"

"Constantly, ever since she told me that she wanted a big family. But then I just think of how gorgeous she is now, and realize that she'll be even more so when she's carrying my children."

Maggie falls silent, a mixture of shock and surprise all over her face at the last comment. The Cameron siblings also look appropriately shocked, waiting for what's to come next. Their shock deepens when Maggie breaks out into laughter.

"_My GOD_, could you be _any cheesier_?"

"Probably…would you like me to try? Frankly I'd be willing to, but I think that your husband, my girlfriend and their sister just want to get out of here."

Maggie looks to the side, noticing her husband for the first time. House turns to look at Cameron, but he's distracted by the man towering over her, and him - as even he has to tilt his head back slightly to look him in the eye - who easily weighs well over 200 lbs and makes the woman under each arm look dwarf like.

Cameron eventually snaps out of her daze, extracts herself from her brother's hug, and goes to House's side.

"Adam, Ashley, this is my boyfriend Greg. Greg, this is my younger brother Adam and my little sister Ashley."

Adam doesn't say anything, just looks down at his wife, who looks House up and down contemplatively before turning back to her husband and adopting a pleading puppy dog look,

"_Please_ can I be in the room when he meets your parents?"

Adam takes this as a good sign and grins slightly before turning back to House, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Greg." Adam's grip almost crushes House's hand, but fortunately, years of growing up around Marines conditioned him not to flinch when responding to the grip.

"Likewise. So," House takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Drinks anyone? We've got an opening night to celebrate." He turns to Ashley and leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "That was a wonderful performance."

"Thank you. Are you just blowing smoke, or do you have some knowledge about what makes a musical wonderful?"

"While my own personal knowledge is limited to a single musical my senior year of high school…more years ago than I care to admit - probably because it was before you were even born - I do have some knowledge of musicals. For instance: You kept your voice in tune with the music - definite points; and you didn't trip over those hoops - double points; and thirdly, if I gave you a bad review-"

"Ally would don a chastity belt and throw away the key?" Ashley helpfully supplies, successfully hiding a smile.

"Well, I was going to say that she'd refuse to make the coffee for the department, thereby forcing me to drink Foreman - or worse - the brew that Chase calls coffee."

"Chase? That would be the living Ken doll that slept with you while you were high on meth two years ago, right?"

"That's him." Cameron supplies. She's been teased about that night by House so much that she doesn't even blush anymore when someone mentions it. Chase on the other hand… still imitates an over ripe tomato whenever that night is brought up…but we're getting off track.

"So," Cameron follows House by taking a deep breath, "Drinks?"

Adam puts a fist in front of him, Ashley and Cameron quickly following. The two females meet the others gaze and blink their left eye in code.

"On three." They bop their fists in preparation for rock, paper, scissors, throwing out their hand at the appropriate time. The sisters each throw out scissors, while Adam throws rock.

"Oh look, Adam won. You're buying." Ashley flounces out, followed by Cameron dragging Greg before he can say anything.

"One of these days…" Adam shakes his head, tucking Maggie under his arm. "That's cheating!" He calls out after his sisters.

* * *

"So," Cameron turns to House when they reach the edge of Central Park, two blocks from their hotel.

"So," House follows, "I take it you're the uptight one?" He recoils slightly when Cameron smacks him on the arm. "Geez, didn't your parents ever teach you not to beat up on cripples?"

"Nope, Daddy always taught us to use every advantage we were presented with… Including beating on a cripple should we be paired against one."

"Ah, should I be afraid of meeting your dad?"

"Terrified. Does this mean that you still want to meet my dad?"

"Can't stop now, can I?" House gently takes Cameron's face in his hands, running his thumbs along her cheekbones, down to her neck before leaning down to kiss her softly. Cameron groans softly as they separate.

"Remind me again why we waited so long for this?"

"Because I was an idiot for not realizing what was right in front of me for so long." House supplies.

"Right." Cameron looks over her shoulder at the hotel and groans. "I don't want to go back. Going back means that we have to go back to pretending that we hate each other."

"I know, I hate it too. But you might want to go in first. I told the wombat and Foreman that I was going to a strip club, and it would look weird if I came back this early."

"What are you going to do?" Cameron asks with a hint of apprehension in her voice, not wanting to know the answer.

"I'll just have a drink in the hotel bar. Can you get them in their rooms in half an hour?"

"Sure." Cameron gives him one last kiss before turning and crossing the street to their hotel. Just as she turns after boarding the elevator, she sees House enter the lobby. Before the doors shut, he turns to her and blows her a kiss.

* * *

"Have fun tonight?" Cameron jumps and turns around at the voice, seeing Foreman sitting on the couch, files spread before him.

"Yeah, I did." She looks around, "Where's everyone else?"

"Reed called her husband and hit the rack. Chase is probably sawing down a forest as we speak."

"Right. You ought to get to bed soon too. You're not going to be any good to us if you're dead on your feet this weekend."

"Sure thing, Mom."

Cameron smiles indulgently at him before heading to her room. She's stopped by his voice just before she opens it.

"Cameron. I'm not going to warn you about how much you can get hurt by being in a relationship with House." He smiles when he sees how shocked she is that he knows. "But if you're the reason why House has been so easy to deal with lately, and if he's the reason why you've been so happy lately…well then, I'm happy for you both. I just hope that you know what you're getting into."

"I love him, Eric. And we've finally reached a point where we can admit it to each other."

"You're sure?"

"He met my two final siblings tonight, and he requested when he'd get to meet my parents also. I think he's in it for the long haul." She gives him a smile before turning back to her door and entering. Just before she closes the door, she pokes her head out once again.

"Thanks for waiting up, Dad."

Foreman grins widely when she shuts the door, checking his watch before putting aside the files, putting in his ear plugs and downing two sleeping pills before heading into his own room.

* * *

Has anyone seen Because I Said So? There's a great scene where the three sisters play rock, paper, scissors to settle something and the sister that is declared the winner actually ends up being the loser. Much like these siblings...I'm jsut borrowing from so many movies aren't I? Not my intention, I promise. I don't own any of the characters and I make no profit using them in any way.

No clue when the next chapter will be up, but I just got a really great idea for another fic. Once again it deals with Cameron's family, but it is _not_ a part of this fic series. At the moment I think it'll be a one shot, but if it gets decent reviews, maybe I'll continue it when this one's done with. Anyways...Read, Review, and enjoy.


	5. Dancing the night away

This scene's been toned down from what I'd originally wanted...I've borrowed too much from various movies already, no need to borrow more. I hope that ya'll enjoy it.

* * *

"Admit it, you guys…you had fun." Cameron turns to the team as they return from the walk through Central Park and the stop they made at the musical presentation. 

"I had fun watching you and Ashley interact with each other." Foreman supplies. "Are you sure that the two of you are related?"

"That's what Daddy says. You should meet Maggie, Adam's wife. She and House would get along famously; she's like House - in female form."

"That's a scary thought." Reed hides a yawn and glances down at her watch. "What time are we leaving for this club?"

"Sevenish?" Cameron replies, looking around at the others, who all nod in acceptance. "Sounds good. That gives us five hours to get some rest and get ready." Cameron hangs back while Reed heads toward the elevators. Chase looks like he's going to remain behind, but Foreman grabs his arm and drags him along. As they board the elevator, Cameron throws him a thankful glance, which Foreman warmly responds to.

"Did I miss something?" House questions once the doors close and Cameron punches the call button for the next elevator.

"Foreman knows about us." Cameron readily supplies. "Don't know how, but he does."

"He saw me in the lobby last night. Do you remember seeing him?"

"No, but I was a little distracted. What's the problem? We said that we'd tell everyone as it happened."

"I don't have a problem with it. I'd just like to know so who does know so that I don't get caught unawares."

"Very well. Chase is the only one that doesn't know now." the elevator opens and the couple gets on, House uses his cane to stop a young man from getting on after them, withdrawing it as the doors close.

"What was that for?" Cameron turns to him.

"Didn't want to give him an anatomy lesson." House leans forward, wrapping his arm around her and giving her a kiss. One that she warmly returns, groaning as he pulls away - seconds before the door opens on their floor.

"I'm not really in the mood for resting before the club…are you?" Cameron smiles coyly at him before heading down the hall to their room. They open the door to their suite and find that the common room is empty, causing Cameron to pull House into his room before anyone can come out.

"You're going to be the death of me, woman." House mumbles as she pulls him in. "But what a way to go." He manages to mumble just before she crushes her lips against his, closing the door behind them.

* * *

"Is that a _tattoo_?" Chase exclaims as Cameron turns her back to him to get her coat. Everyone turns at his exclamation and finds that she does indeed have a tattoo on her left shoulder, displayed perfectly by her shirt which ties around her neck. 

"Yup," Cameron turns. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"No, just wondering why I never saw it."

"I usually keep it covered up - with a special make-up." Cameron adds the last part before Chase can make some stupid comment about one of their many romps in the hay. House stops her before she can put her jacket on and takes a closer look at said tattoo. Even he is stumped by what the design is.

"It's a tree in the Earth with a crown, twig and-" House tilts his head sideways to get a different look, "-the silhouette of a man's face above it. Hate to say it, but this even has me stumped."

"It's my siblings and I. We've all got the same tattoo in the same spot. In fact, we all got them together when Adam and Ashley turned 18."

"And what does it mean?" Foreman asks, taking his turn staring at the design.

Cameron sighs deeply, knowing that they won't get out of the room without an explanation. She goes to the counter at the kitchen, taking a piece of paper and a pen out of her bag along the way. She draws each part of the tattoo as she explains.

"Adam's name means 'of the Earth'; Ashley: 'of the Ash tree fields'; Allison: 'of a noble kin'; the olive branch is for Angela, whose name means 'messenger of God'; and Alex has the silhouette of a man's face because his name means 'defender of man'." Cameron finishes the drawing, turning it so that the rest of the group can see the copy of her tattoo.

"What about the shading surrounding the whole design?" House - the ever observant one - questions.

"For the one who's always watching over us." Cameron replies while putting on her jacket. She turns to see four questioning glances staring back at her and she sighs once again. "It's for Addison - my twin sister - she died when we were three days old. Now let's go."

The team wisely stays silent as they follow her out the door toward the elevators.

* * *

"Is it just me," Elliot glances around the club, "Or does it seem like we're the oldest one's here?" 

The team glances around them before agreeing with the newest member of their team. Together they all turn towards Cameron.

"We're not the oldest ones here." Cameron reassures them before leading them to a grouping of empty tables in the corner.

"Are you sure about that?" Foreman questions.

"The bartender's older than us." Cameron tilts her head toward the other side of the bar, smiling impishly before conceding, "Alright, so most of the people here are younger than us, but not everyone. Call me selfish, but I haven't spent much time with Adam and Ashley in the past few years and I knew that Ashley would be spending time here tonight, whether she got a company offer last night or not."

"Company offer?" Chase asks while shedding his coat.

"Dancers are recruited by companies at the various performances held throughout the year. Ashley did get a company offer last night, but a few of her friends didn't. There are dancers that are obviously good enough to get into Julliard, but they aren't good enough to get leads in productions, so they have less exposure to recruiters. So they come here. The atmosphere here allows them to let loose and be themselves as performers. I've heard of more people being recruited from clubs like this than from dance schools. And not just as dancers. Some of the singers and musicians get record deals from clubs such as this also."

"And what are those of us that can't dance supposed to do?"

Cameron turns to House before responding, "Sit back and leer at the girls that can?"

House is prevented from responding as a young man approaches the group and asks Cameron to dance. She quickly sheds her jacket in acceptance, allowing the man to lead her onto the dance floor. A song has already begun by a woman that doesn't even look legal - it's obvious that she's a student somewhere. The men are so entranced by seeing Cameron dance so freely on the floor that they don't even notice when someone fills her seat at the table halfway through the song.

House watches in envy as Cameron and the man that she's dancing with are singled out for one portion of the song, though he's reassured when her eyes meet his as the final note sounds. Cameron warmly hugs her dance partner before leading him back to their table.

"Cheating on me already?" The teams whips around to see Ashley sitting in Cameron's spot, glaring at her sister's dance partner, the teasing tone obvious in her voice and smile. Cameron answers before he can.

"As if he has eyes for anyone but you." Cameron releases her partner's hand, snagging a waiter on his way past, giving him her drink order. The waiter quickly takes down everyone's order before leaving. The group turns back around to find Ashley in the young man's arms.

"So, Tyler," Cameron addresses the man, "Where were you last night?"

"My little sister had to have surgery two days ago, I went home to help my mom out with my brothers."

"How's she doing?"

"Fine. It was just an emergency appendectomy; textbook surgery - or so the doctors claim - she's going to be fine."

"Great. Sorry guys," she turns to the team, "This is Ashley's boyfriend, Tyler; Tyler, this is Greg House, Elliot Reed, Eric Foreman, and Robert Chase."

"Chase…right, the Ken doll that slept with you while you were high on crystal meth."

"That's right." Cameron easily supplies once again, ignoring the blush that's seeping up Chase's face.

"Does your entire family feel the same way about him?" House questions her.

"Yup. Just be thankful that Alex was in uniform when he met you," Cameron addresses Chase, "Though that hasn't always stopped him before."

"He's got a file full of complaints to prove it." Ashley supplies, glaring at Chase - and not entirely playfully.

"So," Elliot breaks in, "I thought this was supposed to be a fun night out." She grabs Chase's hand and drags him out onto the dance floor as a new song starts, Ashley and Tyler following suit.

Foreman is approached by a woman, who easily fires back that she's legal when House loudly states that he's not in the mood to bail him out of jail that night, before following her out onto the dance floor, leaving House and Cameron behind, just as the waiter returns with their drinks.

Following the dance, Cameron and House watched as Foreman's dance partner thanked him and moved onto the next guy. Confused, he returned to the table with the other two couples…Ashley spoke up before he could voice any questions.

"Word of advice, Dr. Foreman, don't take any requests by girls here seriously. She probably thought you were a recruiter…In fact, most people here will think that all of you are recruiters. It's the curse of being here and over 25. Why didn't you join us out there, Allison?" She abruptly changes topic.

"Because I didn't want to leave House here alone. It's not fair that we dragged him out here when he can't dance."

"That doesn't mean that you can't. Are you afraid that all your time away from the dance studio will show? Or are you afraid that it won't and you'll be recruited?"

Cameron shoots her sister a murderous look (similar to the one that she gave Angela when she revealed her singing talents), causing the questioning looks to once again reappear.

"What?" Chase speaks up as his position of 'One to ask the obvious'.

"They aren't serious, are they, Ally?" Ashley looks around and sees three questioning glances. She focuses on House, realizing just how much her sister has told her new boyfriend about her past. "Let's put it this way," Ashley takes pity on her sister and givers her coworkers the short version, "Julliard's loss was Columbia's gain; one less entertainer for one more savior."

"Is she serious, Cameron?" Foreman questions her. Cameron shoots her sister one more murderous look before going into more depth for her friends.

"Yeah. I was offered a dual scholarship to Julliard for their music and dance/theatre departments."

"Music? Voice or instrument?"

"Could have gone for either, but this was for instrument." Cameron answers before they can ask, "I played the piano and guitar seriously; dabbled a little with the drums, but just enough to give some of my compositions a beat."

"Why didn't you accept it?"

"For the same reason why Alex chose the Marines instead of the Navy, and the same reason why I chose Columbia over Northwestern-"

"And the same reason why I chose Julliard over Stanford." Ashley supplies.

"One in each field is enough." The sisters finish simultaneously. Cameron elaborates when they look at the two as if they're crazy.

"Alex wanted to join the Navy, but Angela wanted to be a doctor, and the Marines don't have a medical Corps. Angela went to Northwestern, pre-med, so I went to Columbia - partly so that I could still be a part of the dancing scene - and I knew that Ash wanted to be a dancer - even when she seven she knew that. She could have gone to Stanford-"

"-But then I'd probably have let our mother have her way and she'd have talked me into getting my diploma in pre-law." Ashley interrupts to tell her part.

"This way, no one's stepping on anyone's toes…or sharing the spotlight. We all have our own spotlights…and no one is stealing anyone's thunder."

"You realize that makes absolutely no sense, right?" Chase interjects. "Basically you're saying that you gave up your dreams for someone else."

"Spoken like an only child." Ashley replies, the dislike for the intensivist evident. "The five of us shared a ton of stuff growing up, including teachers, because our small town school only had so many professionals qualified to teach AP courses. Adam and I had it the worst. We weren't sacrificing our dreams…we were living them. Stepping aside so that none of us shared anything has made us closer. And we don't have to deal with anyone saying stuff like 'Your sister and/or brother was better at such and such than you'; we dealt with that enough in school. Granted it drove us to find our own niches and successes, which led us to where we are today, so it wasn't a total loss, but we didn't sacrifice anything…we merely achieved what _we_ truly wanted, not what others wanted us to achieve.

"And didn't you give up the seminary because your father wanted you to be a doctor? That sure sounds like you gave up your dreams for someone else."

Chase wisely remains silent, though he flags down the waiter and orders another drink.

"Besides," Cameron tries to save the evening, "Dancing and music was a hobby, medicine was what I really wanted to do. And I always preferred New York over Chicago, so it's not like my choices were really sacrifices."

The group quietly nurses their drinks, trying not to say anything that will piss the others off. Reed sees that Chase is about to open his mouth and drags him onto the dance floor once again. Ashley leaves Tyler's side and drags Foreman out. Tyler is about to ask Cameron to dance when another man approaches her and does the honors. Tyler takes a seat when it's just him and House left.

"How long have you been a member of this family?" House speaks up.

"Long enough to know to stay silent when Ash gets into one of her moods."

"They all seem really protective of each other."

"They've been through a lot. You wouldn't think that the age gap was as big as it is by the way that they act towards each other."

"How much have they really been through? I know about their dad being MIA, and then there was Addison, and Allison's husband… What else is there?"

Tyler looks at House disbelievingly. "If you think that's even the tip of the iceberg, than you need psychiatric help. Those events are more like the tip of the tip _of the tip_ of the iceberg. Three of the five of them have had drug addictions, two of them attempted suicide in their teen years, all five of them have spent years in therapy - family and individual - just because they look like the perfect family, does not by any means make them one.

"Wait until you get your welcoming gift. Then they'll let you in on everything. Until then, I didn't tell you anything."

"Welcoming gift?"

"Maggie liked you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ash does too. You'll probably get your gift by the end of the weekend."

"So Maggie and Ashley's opinion determines my induction into the family?"

"No, all of the siblings opinions earns your induction into the family. And since you were allowed to meet Adam and Ashley, that means that Alex and Angela approved of you."

"Good to know." The pair falls silent as everyone returns.

"So, Greg," Ashley comments, "Are we going to get you out on the dance floor at all tonight?"

House holds up his cane while answering, "This really doesn't mix well with dancing… now if one of the singers needs a backup guitarist, then I'm in."

"That can be arranged." Ash takes off for the stage before House can comment, causing Tyler and Allison to laugh.

"Sorry House, but you've just gotten yourself recruited for entertainment." Cameron manages to get out through her laughter.

"Don't we need to get back to the hotel? We've got an early day tomorrow."

"Oh no," Cameron stops him from getting up, "You've gotten yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out of it. Besides, I don't think that another 10 minutes will hurt us tonight."

She's prevented from saying anything more as Ashley returns. "Good news, one of the guitarists sprained his wrist, and his replacement won't be here for another 10 minutes. There could be a revolt in that time if there's no music. They've even supplied a stool for you to use so you don't hurt your leg." Ashley steps to the side, indicating the space that's being set up on stage for him. Reluctantly, House gets to his feet, leaning down to whisper in Cameron's ear,

"We're leaving after this." Straightening, he follows Ashley to the stage, leaving Cameron behind with a goofy smile on her face at seeing House so easily manipulated by her family.

The smile does not go unnoticed by Chase, as a look of realization crosses his face when he sees the gaze shared by his boss and colleague across the dance floor. The gaze is broken as House turns his attention to one of the other musicians that's showing him the music for the next song. Everyone pairs up again, this time Chase is left out while the others go out to the floor - Reed with an unknown man from the audience this time, and Foreman with Cameron. No one approaches Chase, giving him the perfect opportunity to observe House and Cameron.

* * *

I think they'll only be one more chapter after this...The initiation gift...that's something my brothers and I do. Nothing fancy, but it is tradition, and we only do it when we know that it's serious with the respective significant other. Review... please... you know that you want to. 


	6. Welcome to the Family

"I can't believe that you used the 'a cop, a nun and a 9-year-old boy walked into the ER' line as your opening." Cameron turns to House as the doors to the conference room closes behind them.

"Especially since we established that the nun walked into the clinic, the boy was carried into the ER by his parents, and the cop was taken in by ambulance." The team turns to Elliot disbelievingly. "What? Just clarifying." She retrieves her vibrating cell phone from her pocket and steps to the side to answer it.

"What does it matter how the case opened. The point is that I got through a conference without embarrassing the team or the hospital."

"So the comment about wanting to screw Cameron when you saw her in her dress the night of the benefit? What was that?" Chase asks, defending how embarrassed he saw that Cameron had become.

"That was a wake-up call for the audience," the team turns to see Angela and Alex approach. Angela continues on when they approach. "You might be Greg House, but parts of the departments were falling asleep in the audience. Hearing about how much you wanted to screw your gorgeous, younger Immunologist definitely got everyone's attention."

"See!" House exclaims, "It wouldn't look good for the hospital if everyone fell asleep during our speech. Thank you, Angela."

"You're welcome, Greg." She moves in to give Cameron a hug and gives House a kiss on the cheek in greeting. "All else aside, it was an interesting presentation. Out of curiosity, how much trouble do you think you'll get into if that comment about Alliso gets back to Dr. Cuddy?"

"Probably not as much as he was in when that case was over." Cameron supplies. "He was pulling triple clinic duty _and_ lecturing in the diagnostics class for a month afterwards."

"So buy some tea, Greg. You're going to be doing a lot of lecturing in the foreseeable future." Alex teases.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cameron changes the subject before the conversation can get out of hand.

"Welcoming ceremony." Angela supplies, causing Cameron to grin widely.

"Really?!?"

"Really, little sister."

Cameron tries to cover her excitement and settles for bouncing in place momentarily. She stops and carefully schools her features when she sees the faces of her colleagues. Her siblings merely smile indulgently at her excitement. Cameron takes a deep breath to calm herself before turning to her colleagues.

"Our return train isn't until tomorrow afternoon, and we're not requited to attend the last intensive of the weekend. We can do what we want until then."

"Chase and I were discussing attending the last intensive regardless." Foreman supplies.

"I've got friends in port, I was gonna have dinner with them. That leaves you two to fend for yourselves." Reed gives her plans.

"Greg, want to join us for dinner?" Alex turns to House.

* * *

House enters the common room from his bedroom at the same time that Cameron exits hers. They look up and laugh at their similar state of dress - black from head to toe. Cameron looks professional in form-fitting black trousers and a crew neck top with black leather boots. House is in faded black jeans and a worn black _The Who_ concert shirt, finished with his trademark Nike Shox. House limps over to take a closer look at the silver medallion that hangs around her neck. 

"St. Luke?" House questions the patron saint that dons her neck.

"Patron saint of physicians." Cameron supplies.

"I thought you didn't believe in God. It goes without saying that you don't believe in his minions."

"I don't. But you have to put your faith in something. It was a gift from my grandmother; I was close with her. Now let's go, we don't want to be late." Cameron grabs the hand that House drops from her neck and drags him out the door.

The entire trip down the elevator, Cameron spends playfully smacking House's hands away from her. Entering the hotel restaurant, it's easy to spot the table of Cameron's siblings, because they're all dressed the same - black, with a silver medallion around their necks. House is quick to comment as they sit down.

"Religious folk would be quick to believe that this is some sort of cult gathering judging by our state of dress."

"This is never intentional." Maggie comments while digging in her purse.

"What is it? Everyone thinks that everyone else will remember the last time and wear something else, so they think that it won't hurt to wear black again?"

"Precisely." Maggie pulls a small jewelry box out of her bag - it's about the size of a ring box - and places it on House's plate.

"I'm flattered Maggie, but we're both taken, remember?"

"Just shut up and open it, Greg."

House opens the box to find a medallion inside. Maggie explains the significance as he pulls it out to take a closer look.

"The last person welcomed into the family gets to welcome the next one. It doesn't matter if you're Christian or not, we've all got our patron saint medallions, and what the medallion stands for is what matters."

"Gregory the Great?"

"Pope and Doctor of the Church; also the patron saint of teachers. The name is pure coincidence…unless your parents named you that after him." House looks up at each of the others around the table before slipping the chain over his head and then reaching down to take Cameron's hand

"So this means I'm in the family?"

"No, this means that if you ever get kicked out, you don't get back in." Alex supplies.

"And what if Allison and I get married?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

House lets go of Cameron's hand to take a closer look at his medallion, wondering which saint all of the others wear. Cameron looks down at the hand he just released and notices something new.

"Um, Greg?"

"Yeah?" House knows that she's notices his gift, but continues to act in nonchalance.

"Are you serious?" House finally looks up.

"You're not going to make me get down on one knee are you? Because we've already established that isn't good for my leg, remember?"

Cameron stares at him, mouth open, barely able to squeak out "no" before House turns to face her, taking her hand in both of his.

"Marry me, Allison Cameron?"

Cameron remains silent, mouth hanging open, just nods her head in acceptance.

"Good." House faces the table again, taking Cameron's hand in his. "So what saints do each of you have?"

Each of the Cameron siblings stare at House in shock, wondering how he can behave so normally after proposing. At Alex's voice, Cameron snaps out of her haze and returns her attention to the conversation.

"Um…I've got Saint Thomas More."

"Ah, patron saint of Lawyers. Let me see if I can guess the rest of you." House turns to each of them in turn, "Normally I'd suggest St. Luke for you, Angela, but after what Ashley said last night, I'm going to go with Saint Michael; Ashley would be St. Vitus; Adam, St. Francis. What do you do, Maggie?"

"I'm a marriage counselor."

"Then I'd go with St. Valentine for you. And what do you do, Tyler?"

"I'm a counselor for an abuse shelter."

"That would make your saint…St…Adelaide?"

"I thought Allison said that you were an atheist?" Angela questions.

"I am, but you'd be surprised at the amount of random information floating around up here." House taps his temple. "Including lists of patron saints."

The siblings look to Cameron, waiting for her to comment, but isn't given the chance as Chase and Foreman approach the table. Since Cameron has her chin in her left hand with her elbow propped on the table, Foreman is quick to notice her ring.

"Hey everyone. Cameron? Is there something that you need to share?"

"Greg just proposed."

"WHAT?!" Everyone looks to Chase to see him staring at House and Cameron with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Right." Foreman elbows Chase, shaking him out of his trance. "We'll just leave you with your family then. Congratulations." Foreman turns and pushes Chase away from the table towards the elevators. Once he's gone, Maggie turns to Cameron.

"Alright, how long did you two date, and who broke up with who?"

"We didn't really _date_ per se. It was more of a friends with benefits relationship. And I suppose that I broke it off."

"You can tell…there's a man who's still in love with you."

"Too bad I'm taken." Cameron turns to House and gazes at him lovingly.

* * *

St Thomas More, patron saint of lawyers; 

St Michael, patron saint of sickness and those in battle (the archangel);

St Vitus, patron saint of dancers;

St Francis, patron saint of ecologists;

St Adelaide, patron saint of abuse victims;

St Valentine, patron saint of affianced couples/engaged couples/happy marraiges/lovers/young people

Who wants to see the Cameron parents??? Cuddy's reaction??? General hospital reaction to the engagement??? If I get enough reviews, I might write one final chapter with all of that.


	7. Returning home

Alright, first I need to apologize for the insanely long time frame between updates. First I had finals and then I was just plain procrastinating, and then when I finally sat down to write, I had writer's block. How's that for luck? Anyways, here ya go. Reactions upon returning home.

* * *

Cuddy enters her outer office, so busy digging for her keys that she doesn't notice Cameron leaning against her assistant's desk.

"Sorry," Cameron apologizes when Cuddy finally notices her and drops the files she's carrying in shock. Cameron kneels down to help her boss collect them.

"That's alright." Cuddy glances at her watch before accepting the stack of files. "You're here early."

"I needed to speak with you about the events in New York."

Cuddy falters in step slightly, taking a deep breath while placing the files on her desk. Once she composed herself, she turns to Cameron.

"What did House do this time?"

"He proposed." Cameron deadpans, taking a seat in one of the chairs across from Cuddy. Cuddy collapses in her chair in shock, not saying anything. Cameron moves to explain before Cuddy can say anything. "Greg and I have been seeing each other for the past five months. And he proposed to me this past weekend in New York."

Cuddy shuffles through some files, trying to compose herself, before finally looking up. "And why is it that House didn't come here with you?"

"We felt that it would be best if I came alone given that I don't have the same history of pulling pranks on you that House does."

"And this isn't a prank."

"No, it's not."

"Alright. Keep it out of the hospital while I figure out what to do with you."

"We can do that." Cameron stands and leaves, leaving Cuddy stunned in her chair.

* * *

Wilson is arranging his files for the day when there is a knock on his door.

"Come in," He shouts, not lifting his head. He hears the door open, but doesn't look up until he hears someone collapse into one of his chairs. He looks up to see Cuddy slumped in one of his chairs.

"Did you know?" Cuddy asks directly.

"Know what?" Wilson questions absentmindedly while, shuffling his files into a pile and pushing them to the side to give his boss his full attention.

"About House and Cameron."

"Uhm yeah. I found out the day before they left for New York."

"How did you find out?"

"I walked in on them making out in his office. How did you find out?"

"Cameron just came to my office and told me because House-" Cuddy composes herself with a deep breath before continuing, "House _proposed_ while they were in New York."

"What?! House proposed? _House _proposed? _That's_ news to me. House _proposed_?"

"Yes. Do you want to interrogate him about this?"

"With pleasure." Wilson glances at his watch, mentally checking his schedule. "I've got half an hour right now. I can at least get something out of him." Wilson offers his hand to Cuddy to help her to her feet once he rounds the desk.

* * *

Chase enters the locker room and looks around quickly, ensuring that it's empty before sitting down next to Cameron's open locker. He doesn't have to wait long before she exits the showers dressed in scrubs. She jumps slightly when she sees him sitting by her stuff.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk. I thought I'd take the chance that you still work out in the hospital gym in the mornings."

"Chase. We broke up, remember? Not that we ever had a real relationship to start with." Cameron pushes him to the side so that she can get her locker open and get her stuff. The first thing that she pulls out is her engagement ring, which she immediately puts on, taking a moment to admire it.

"But _House_! Come on, Allison, why him?"

"Why not? I thought that a big reason for being in a relationship with someone is because you love them. Well I love Greg, I'm _in_ love with Greg."

"Allison-"

"That's Dr. Cameron, or just Cameron. You didn't seem to have a problem calling me by my last name even when we were together - and I use that word in the loosest sense - so why are you reverting to my first name now?"

"Fine, Cameron. Are you sure?"

"Positive, Chase. It might be hard to believe, but he makes me happy, happier than I ever thought I'd ever get the chance to be again. When I'm not with him, I want to be, and when I am with him, I can't imagine ever leaving his side. I know that no one will support us once they find out, but I don't care, because he's everything I never knew I'd want. I had the stereotypical 'perfect man' once, he wasn't for me. I don't care that he's damaged, or that he's got a drug habit, or that he's quite possibly the _most_ sarcastic, bitter, cranky man on the planet - he's got a way of putting a smile on my face when I don't think anything else is possible." Cameron turns back to her locker, pulling out her clothes for the day. Chase is silent from his place on the bench before he slowly gets up, putting a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to turn around.

"You've got one person on your side." He comments when she finally faces him. "I always knew that I wasn't the one for you - even though I did want it to be so - and I might not think that he's the one for you, but if he really does make you this happy, then I'm on your side."

"Thank you, Chase." Cameron leans into him for a hug.

"Plus, have you noticed how much nicer House has been to us lately? If you're responsible for that then I _definitely_ want you to keep sleeping with him. And _yes_ that image will be _forever_ burned on my brain."

Cameron smacks him on the arm with a laugh before shoving him towards the door. "Thanks Chase. Now get out of here, this body is for one man's eyes only now."

* * *

Wilson enters House's office and casually takes a seat in front of the desk, waiting for House to notice him sitting there. Finally House looks up from his Gameboy.

"Can I help you with something, Wilson?"

"I was just wondering how things went in New York. I heard that the conference was a success."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of the conference, but I do know that our bit went well."

"Yeah, I heard that your opening sounded like the opening to some cheesy joke."

"Well, I try to keep everyone entertained."

"So nothing exciting happened?" Wilson fishes.

"Cameron dragged me to _Wicked_, I met her younger siblings and their significant others. I think they liked me."

"That's good. Anything else happen?"

"Nope." House returns to his Gameboy, leaving Wilson exasperated. Before he can comment, his beeper goes off, summoning him to his first appointment. Wilson gives House one last moment, before getting up and leaving. He's halfway out the door when House calls him back.

"Oh, Wilson?"

"Yes?" Wilson returns, though stays in the doorway.

"Dust off your tux. I need a best man."

"Sure thing. We _will_ talk about this later."

"Yes, wife."

* * *

When lunch time comes around, Cameron walks into House's office, locks the door and plops down on the couch.

"In the middle of the work day!? I'm game." House shuts off his Gameboy and goes to the couch, covering Cameron's body with his own and kissing her before she can say anything (fortunately, he already had the blinds shut). Cameron eventually pushes him back.

"Funny, Greg, but that's not why I came in here. We need to talk."

"You have no idea how those four words strike fear in the hearts of men."

"I'm serious."

"Okay." House sits up and allows her to do the same, pulling her legs across his own and holding her close before she can protest. Cameron doesn't, and quickly cuddles into his side.

"People are noticing my ring. Do you want to start telling people?"

"Cuddy knows, right?"

"Yeah, I told her this morning."

"And I'm betting that she went straight to Wilson. He was in my office just before his first patient."

"How did he react?"

"He was called off before he could say anything. He just left with the comment that we would talk later. What else do we need to talk about?"

"I don't want anything big. I had that once before, I don't want it again."

"Sounds good. Normally I'd say 'six people on a beach', but I think your siblings and Jack would have something to say about that." Cameron tilts her head back with a question in her eyes, causing House to elaborate. "'Six people on a beach' ... you, me, your parents, and mine."

"Right, speaking of... My parents are going to be in town tonight."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I just asked them if they wanted to come for a visit, and told them that I had to tell them something that was better told in person. Immediate family only on a beach sounds nice. We could do a big party later."

"I already asked Wilson to be my best man."

"Wilson has put up with you for how many years...? I think we can count him as family."

"Sounds good. Anything else?" Cameron cuddles deeper into his chest, debating whether or not to tell him about her conversation with Chase. "Something's on your mind...what is it?"

"Chase was in the locker room waiting for me this morning."

"What did he want?"

"I think he was originally going to try and talk me out of it." She feels House tense up beneath her and holds him tighter. "We talked for a while and he eventually said that he was supporting me - supporting us. Not that there was any hope of him talking me out of marrying you."

"Good to know." House stares down at Cameron, waiting until she raises her gaze to meet his. He's about to kiss her when they hear someone enter the conference room. They hear Foreman's voice and two others that he doesn't recognize, though she does. She quickly jumps to her feet and unlocks the door between the rooms before anyone can try and open it.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't getting here until tonight."

"We managed to get an earlier flight." House hears Cameron's mother respond gets to his feet to greet them. Cameron steps aside, allowing her parents into the office. Once Mr. Cameron enters, House sees where Adam got his size from and recoils slightly.

"Is this a bad time?" Mr. Cameron asks, glancing between his daughter and House.

"No, not at all. We actually don't have a patient at the moment, so it's not a bad time at all." Cameron turns to face House. "Mom, Dad, this is my boss, Greg House; House, these are my parents, Alice and William Cameron."

"Pleasure to meet the both of you. You ought to be proud of Allison, she's an exceptional doctor."

"I'd rather think of my daughter as an exceptional woman than doctor." Alice states.

"She's that also."

"Thank you." Before any uncomfortable silence can begin, Wilson enters the office without knocking.

"Alright House, time for an explanation. I can understand you keeping the relationship a secret, but for you to _propose_ and not mention something-" Wilson stops talking when he looks up and sees the three extra people standing there.

"And this is James Wilson, he's the head of Oncology; Dr. Wilson, these are my parents, Alice and William Cameron."

"Right. Nice to meet the both of you." Wilson falters slightly when he takes notice of the sheer size of Cameron's father. "House...?" Wilson beckons him out silently.

"Right, lunch." House turns back to the Camerons. "It was a pleasure meeting you both, I'm sure that I'll see you both again before you return home."

"Nice meeting you also, Dr. House." Alice returns as House leaves.

Once in the hallway, Wilson turns to House, "_That's_ your future father-in-law!? I hope that you know what you're doing, House."

"Have I ever gone into a situation without both eyes open?"

Wilson just stares back at him with the obvious _Are you serious?_ comment in his eyes.

* * *

One more chapter probably, and no I won't be going into too much detail with the wedding. I've got another story going through my mind that I want to at least get started before school starts for the fall. Read, review, please. 


	8. Finale, for now

"So, Allison," Cameron's mother takes a seat across from her daughter and next to her husband at a table outside of the hospital. "What's this big news that you said you had? Did you get a promotion?"

"Yes, I actually did. I've been offered Assistant Head of Immunology. But that's not what I had to share."

"Why are you being offered that position? Are you leaving your fellowship?" Cameron's father questions her once her mother has professed her congratulations.

"My fellowship ends in three months. Before I could look at putting out my resume, Dr. Cuddy offered me the job here. The Immunology Head is retiring in two years, having this job puts me on the fast track for his job when he leaves."

"That's good news, but if it's not the news that you called us out here to tell us, then what is?" Cameron's father asks.

"Well, I've been seeing someone for the past five months - though I've known him for three years - and he's proposed." Cameron falls silent as she waits for her parent's reactions. She doesn't have to wait long.

"It's not that Ken doll you told us about, is it?" Her father's anger seems barely contained, and Cameron is thankful that the answer is 'no'.

"No, it's not. And the 'Ken doll's' name is Chase."

"Has he met your siblings?" Alice asks.

"Yes. He actually proposed the day after he met Adam, Ashley and Maggie."

"So he's met Maggie? Did she-?"

"Welcomed him with open arms." Cameron answers her mother's question quickly. "And he met Alex and Angela three months ago when the two of them were here in Princeton for a case of Angie's. Though he hasn't met Derek and Melissa yet."

"And 'his' name is…?" William asks.

"Greg." Cameron doesn't have to wait long for their reactions, though her mother is the one who voices their question.

"As in 'House', or a different Greg?"

"Greg House, my boss."

"He makes you happy?"

"Immensely, Dad. More than I ever thought I could be again."

"Please don't tell me that I have to fork over another five figures for your wedding."

Cameron laughs at her dad's teasing. "We were actually discussing that when you two showed up. We just want a simple ceremony with immediate family and closest friends only. We'll do the big party at another time. He undoubtedly suggested that because he knows that if the person really matters we can give them less than one week's notice and they'd still find a way to show up."

"And you're happy with that?"

"I had the big wedding once before Mom, neither of us want that this time around. Honestly, I'd be happy with a Justice of Peace, so long as he's the one standing next to me saying 'I do'."

"Good to know."

"So, shall I go introduce you to your future son-in-law?" The trio gets up and head toward the hospital once William tucks his wife and daughter under each arm.

Just before entering the hospital, they stop when they bump into a couple just inside the door. The apology that is on Cameron's lips doesn't get past her vocal cords when she sees who it is that they've collided with.

"Dr. Cameron, isn't it? You work with Greg."

"Yes. It's good to see you again Mrs. House. Your son didn't mention that you and your husband were going to be visiting."

"Well, we heard about how hard he tried to get out of dinner with us last time we were passing through, so we thought we'd surprise him this time. Is it a bad time?"

"No, actually. We're patient-less at the moment. Come on, I'll show you up." Cameron extends her hand to allow them ahead of her and Blythe House takes note of her ring.

"You're engaged, Dr. Cameron? Congratulations. When's the big day?" They've stopped at the bank of elevators and Cameron turns to answer the question while her father summons an elevator.

"We haven't set a date yet. He actually just proposed Saturday night."

"Have you made any plans yet?"

"We're leaning towards a family only ceremony with a big party later."

"And will you continue working?" This comes from House's father.

"Yes, I will. I'm transferring to another department in three months. It means more work, but I'll have more regular hours." The door opens at their floor and they all get off and head toward Diagnostics. House's office is still empty, but Chase, Foreman and Reed are all in the Conference room. They all look up as the group enters.

"Grams, Grandpa!" Elliot gets to her feet and embraces her grandparents. "What are you two doing here?"

"We thought we'd stop by and surprise Greg. Where is he?"

"I think he's having lunch with Wilson at the moment. He should be back soon though, we just paged him with a new case." Elliot looks to the two people standing behind Cameron and silently questions her.

"Everyone, these are my parents, William and Alice Cameron. Mom, Dad, these are my other fellows: Dr. Eric Foreman, Dr. Robert Chase, and Dr. Elliot Reed. What's the new case?" Cameron takes the file from Elliot's hand and opens it. Only Elliot can tell that this is done to hide her nervousness at the fact that in just a few moments, her parents are about to meet House as her fiance - not her boss - and his parents are about to meet hers - not knowing that their son proposed to her, who's practically young enough to be their granddaughter.

"Alright duckies, what's the latest - oh crap!" House draws up short when he sees his parents standing in the room. "Mom, Dad. What are you doing here?"

"We decided not to give you the opportunity to cancel on us this time. Don't worry, sweetie, it's just a drive by, we're due in Jacksonville tomorrow afternoon. One of your father's buddies is retiring, we're going down for his Hail and Farewell."

"Really? Well, that's good news." House moves in to give his mother a hug, seeking out Cameron's gaze. She meets his gaze slightly, eyes widening in worry before returning her gaze to the folder in her hands.

"But you have a case at the moment. How about we leave you alone and perhaps we can bring you and your team dinner this evening before we get back on the road."

"That would be good." Just before the two sets of parents leave, Blythe turns back around and addresses Cameron.

"Oh, and Dr. Cameron? Perhaps then you can tell us about this fiance of yours."

Cameron smiles tightly at her future mother-in-law in response and keeps it until they leave. Alice turns to glance back at her daughter, whose eyes widen as she shakes her head slightly in a silent warning not to say anything to House's parents just yet. Once the parents are out of sight, she collapses into one of the chairs burying her face in her crossed arms on the table. The room is silent while they listen to Cameron's deep, calming breaths. After a moment, she lifts her head and seeks out House.

"You _**will**_ tell them about us tonight when they come with dinner." She orders, "_**No**_ beating around the proverbial bush. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." House turns to the white board and starts writing the symptoms down as Cameron reads them off the history. Behind them, Foreman leans toward his two colleagues and murmurs out the corner of his mouth.

"I guess we now know who's going to be wearing the pants in this marriage." The two others snort slightly in laughter before taking their own seats and turning their attention to the differential.

* * *

Alright, so I had planned on making this one a bit longer and ending the series here, but I've gotten more than a few requests to continue it, and thus it will be. But this is the end of this story. What I'm going to do is start another story that will have several one-shots depicting events in their married life and life after. If anyone has any ideas of what they'd like to see, let me know, but I'll warn you, the first story will be their wedding, so please, no requests for the wedding day.

And I'll be doing these snapshots along with the next story: Black Sheep

Summary: Allison Cameron seems like a parents' pride...What if she's actually the black sheep of her family? Post S3, starts out CamChase, but will become HouseCameron.

Oh yeah, a Hail and Farewell is a party for members of the military that are retiring or transferring to another base. Though it's only done for the transfer if the officer in question has been on base for an extended period of time (I don't know what the time frame is, but I'd imagine that it's more than 10 years).


End file.
